Return Of The Miko
by Fallyn Rayne
Summary: Kagome finds some interesting information while exploring her new home. What if she is the only one who can end 1,000 years of conflict?
1. Prologue: Moving

_"Return of the Miko"_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing!!!!!_

_Summary: Kagome finds some interesting information while exploring her new home. What if she_ _is the only one who can end 1,000 years of conflict? _

_Note: This story begins shortly before the manga when Kagome and her family move into the_ _shrine. It will not follow the majority of the plot line for the manga, but it will parallel _

_in some parts. I'll let you guys guess where its going. If I say anymore I'll give it away!_

_-Rayne_

_Prologue : Moving _

_" Well , I guess this is the last of it", Kagome stated as her grandfather walked into their new living room._

_" I certainly hope so. All this moving makes us old folks tired. I'm going for a nap, so wake me up for dinner, will you?" _

_" Of course grand p- "_

_" Why did we have to move to this __**stupid**__ shrine?" , a young boy screeched._

_Kagome groaned, " Sounds like Souta's at it again. Guess he thinks that if he protests enough mom will change her mind and move back."_

_Grandpa scratched his head as if he was deep in thought and then smiled , " Why don't you try to talk to him? He won't listen to me or your mother_

_When I went outside, Souta was sitting on the front porch with the saddest puppy-dog look I've ever seen twisting his angelic face. I couldn't help but wonder why he hated the idea of moving so much. Can't say that he would miss our old school. Everyone in our family knew that he was bullied constantly. You would think he would be happy to get away from his tormentors. He didn't have many friends so there had to be another reason for the sudden change. __**S**__outa might have been the prime target for pranks at school, but he was always happy at home until now._

_"What's my favorite younger bother up to?" I asked with much more enthusiasm than was necessary. Souta rolled his eyes at me._

_" Have you forgotten, Kagome? I'm your only brother, younger or otherwise." , He muttered sarcastically, " Let me guess, that's why I'm your favorite? Honestly, you need to get more original jokes. That one is so old it makes Grandpa look young."_

_This is going no where. So much for Grandpa's idea that I could help Souta adjust. That's hard to do when your brother insists on giving you the cold shoulder as well. I'm only fifteen for heavens sake! I shouldn't have to be the one to straighten my ten year-old brother out! Isn't this why we have adults living with us? Honestly, I've had enough of dealing with the chaos moving has turned my life into. It's not supposed to be like this!_

_" Alright Souta!", I said raising my voice so that it echoed through the shrine, " What in the world has gotten in to you? Ever since Mom said we were moving you've been acting like a spoiled brat, and I've had to listen to you fight with Mom and Grandpa day and night! Why?! I want to know right now! Its not like we moved far, only across town. So what if we have to switch schools? You didn't get along with most of the kids anyway!"_

_" It's not about switching schools", Souta whispered. _

_I froze in the middle of my tirade. That's when I noticed he was crying. The weird part was the Souta hardly ever cried. Not even when he fell out of the neighbors apple tree three years ago. It made me feel terrible since I'm the one who must have said something to bring it on. It would have been easier to apologize if I knew what I said._

_" If its not about school, then what is it?", I asked cautiously_

_I didn't want to move because I feel like we've left Dad behind."_

_" Souta, we didn't leave Dad behind. He's not attached to our old house, you know. He's a spirit now, so he can go wherever he wants. And this house has something our old one didn't: A shrine. I'm sure you could go anywhere you want on the property to think about him since it is holy ground. I know how you feel because I miss him too, but Mom had to move to be closer to her new job. I don't think she wanted to move here. So while we are here, why don't we try to make the best of it? I'm sure there are a lot of cool things for us to explore. Who knows, maybe you'll learn to like it. What do you say about giving our new home a chance?"_

_Souta smiled and dried his eyes on his sleeve, " Yeah, I guess I could give it a shot. Where do you want to start exploring?"_

* * *

_Sorry about all of the dialogue. I wanted to give you guys as much background information as I could and the only way I could think of to do that was to put in plenty of dialog. More chapters coming ! Please read and review!!!!! Let me Know what you think. Corrective Criticism is welcome!_

- Rayne 


	2. Chapter 1:Exploring

_Chapter One: Exploring_

_Souta and I stepped off of the front porch together and headed around the main building towards the back yard. For a historical piece of land , it wasn't large, and therefore there wasn't much for us to take in. Behind the house stood the shed and the storehouse, which Grandpa said he wanted to turn into a gift shop. He had this crazy idea of opening the shrine again for tours since he would have nothing better to do with Mom at work and the two of us at school. Directly behind the storehouse was a strange looking structure that Mom said the people who sold her the Shrine told her that it was a well. Of course, as soon as I told Souta about the well, he wanted to check it out._

_So much for seeing if we could find any cool gadgets the previous owners left. I highly doubted they kept any of their possessions in the well house._

_When we reached the door, it was all boarded up. Souta found a metal bar laying in the high grass behind the well house, which I used to pry the warped boards off of the entrance. Much to my dismay, the door's hinges were no longer attached to the frame, and I barely jumped out of the way in time as the oak structure hit the concrete platform with a sickening thud .The door gave way to a huge cloud of dust that reeked of mold. Souta frantically fanned the air to try and clear it up. The dark recess looked forbidding. Just like the places in the mystery novels I've read . They've always managed freaked me out even if it was a good story. Good thing none of that stuff happens in real life, right? For once, I wasn't sure about this place. Grandpa was the one who believed in evil spirits and such, not me. It was all rubbish as far as I was concerned. Stop it, I said to my self, even Souta isn't scared. That means it isn't logical for you to be afraid. _

_" Whoa, sis. It's dark in there!"_

_" No duh, Souta, it was probably built before there was electric lighting. I'm going to go back to the house to get some candles and matches. Stay here and don't go in until I get back."_

_" Alright. It's not like I can see in there anyway. What's the point of going on a treasure hunt if you can't see what you're looking for?", Souta laughed_

_" Don't get smart with me ! I'll be right back!"_

_I ran back to the house as fast as my legs would carry me. Candles and matches, candles and matches, where would Mom have packed them? With the living room stuff? I was so absorbed in figuring out where they could be that I almost ran into Grandpa._

_" Easy does it, Kagome! Remember, slow and steady always wins the race! Why are you in such a hurry? Better yet, where's Souta? I thought you were gonna talk to him.", Grandpa said _

_I didn't have time for a game of "Twenty-one Questions". Souta was waiting for me. " I already talked to him, and I got him to give the shrine a cha-"_

_" That's wonderful sweetheart! I knew you could get through to him. So why are you rushing so ?"_

_I sighed, " I was getting to that before you cut me off. Do you know where Mom packed the candles and matches? Souta and I need them since we're going to explore the buildings on the grounds. Souta's idea before you ask." _

_Sometimes it seems like my family knew I was born with only one nerve and they enjoyed taking turns jumping on it. Today must be Grandpa's turn. When Grandpa didn't answer , I got busy ripping open any and all boxes that were in my path. After what seemed like an eternity , Grandpa walked out of the kitchen holding two candles and a bundles of matches. Now I was seeing red._

_" You mean to tell me that I opened all of these boxes and you knew that they weren't in any of them?! " _

_Grandpa smiled sheepishly, " I forgot your mother unpacked them earlier and put them in the kitchen."_

_" Hey, I'd love to stay and chat," I sputtered in a rush as I took the candles and matches from him,"but Souta's waiting for me. Love you, see you later!" _

_With that I sped off towards the well house. The sun was starting to set against the horizon, casting an orange haze over the grounds. It was beautiful but it also gave the shrine a sinister appearance. Souta was going to be disappointed since we would have to head in soon. I suppose tomorrow could be another day. As I approached the old well, I felt chills run down my spine. Something wasn't right about this place. The aura shifted and oddly this time I could feel it. I could tell from how many times I've heard Grandpa explain it as a part of his endless stories about the past. There had to be a reason it was boarded up. I was praying my earlier instincts about the place were wrong as a skidded to a stop._

_"Souta?"_

_My ten year old brother wasn't standing where I left him thirty minutes ago._

* * *

_Alright folks! Souta's missing!!!!!!! Did he ignore Kagome and go into the well house? Or did something else happen? Well that's for me to know and for you to find out! =P Next chapter will be up soon. Please read and review! Let me know what you think so far!_

_- Rayne_


	3. Chapter 2: Well House

_Chapter Two: Well House_

_" Souta!', I hollered into the night, " You had better come out from wherever you are hiding! I told you to wait for me! Mom's gonna flip bananas when I tell her about this!"_

_No response. Nothing. Not even a stifled giggle. Where could he possibly be? _

_I grabbed a stick and began to poke all of the bushes surrounding the well house. Maybe Souta's gotten good at hiding, and this is my punishment for taking so long with the candles. He wasn't in any of the bushes and there wasn't many places he could hide. Unless...No I didn't want to think about it. He couldn't have gone __**in**__ the well house, could he? I had the candles now. One quick peek to be sure he wasn't in there wouldn't hurt. So, I gathered up all the courage I could muster, braced my shoulders, lit a candle, and walked through the open door into the great unknown._

_" Souta!", I called as I slowly tiptoed down the large set of stairs right inside the door. Then I lifted the candle high. Above me was a tangled mass of huge cobwebs. Some stretching it seemed for fifty feet! To my left and right sat large wooden cartons on the dirt floor, and in front of me was the well. _

_It was enormous. The opening itself must have been at least twenty feet wide. It was old , dark, creepy, and made of grey stone. Some how I found the nerve to peer over the edge inside the well. It stretched farther than my eyes could see. Needless to say there was no sign of a bottom, or of my brother either. Perhaps he was hiding in one of the wooden crates. Wordlessly, I began to open them up one by one, while keeping an eye out for Souta leaving his hiding place. In the last crate, I found something. It wasn't my brother, but rather an ornately designed book. Maybe I was wrong about the previous owners._

_I sat on one of the upturned crates I already opened, and began to read: _

_**Property of Kikyou, Village Miko**_

_**Read at thine own risk**_

_"What in the world?", I whispered aloud. It was a personal manuscript of some sort. One that the owner did not want anyone to see. The language even seemed out of date, therefore it couldn't be from the last owners. They were a young couple for crying out loud! They only moved to be closer to the wife's parents who were going to watch their baby while they were at work, or at least that's what they told Mom. But a Village Miko? Japan didn't have villages anymore. They had all become cities, even the oldest ones dating back to the feudal era. Did the young couple find this? They didn't live here long. Could this diary be the real reason they left?_

_My curiosity got the better of me. I had to see what was written in the pages . If it was really from feudal Japan, than surely the information this Kikyou wanted to keep hidden could be revealed? I turned the filmy thin page :_

_**Harvest Moon A.D 1489**_

_**This day is one of great importance. My Grandmother, our village Miko, has passed leaving her vacant responsibilities to me. With such comes sacrifice, for now I am the guardian of the Shikon Jewel. Guarding it with my life comes before all other tasks. I have grown these past five seasons under her wise tutelage preparing for this inevitable day to come. My mother and sire passed to the hereafter shortly after my younger sister, Kaede, arrived, leaving I, as the eldest, Grandmother's sole successor. Demons great and small will come to our gates. Their wish to possess the great jewel will never cease as long as the jewel exists. Should one manage to break our defenses the consequences will be disastrous. This is why I must not show weakness, and never give quarter as long as I live. Little Kaede is far too young to realize that if I should fail this too shall become her fate if I have no children to carry on the task. How can I if my duty prevents me from trusting anyone? Even some of my fellow humans are after this prize.**_

_**Summer Solstice A.D 1491**_

_**Almost two seasons have passed since I last put this quill to paper. I have spent all of my waking hours training my village to be on guard, rearing my younger sister, and most importantly training myself for the path ahead. This war is unending. The Demons attack night and day. Two seasons into a life of service and already I am wary of it all. I, at eighteen seasons, have seen so much death and destruction that at times even I, the Great Miko, must escape. Today I traveled through the woods surrounding my village to an old abandoned well that lies there. All of my village comrades say that it is dry, so I went to see this marvel. It was truly foolish of I to go off alone, for I was not the only body visiting the well. Today I had met my first demon. Upon sight he recognized I as the Shikon guardian and rushed me for the jewel. I as no fool. The jewel remained behind in its hiding place. So I shot, pinning the culprit to a tree. Nay, I did not slay him. I wanted information first. So I ask this demon what he is called. Stunned as he is he managed to find a voice. " Inu-Yasha" , he spat out , " What is it to you, Miko?"**_

_**I asked then why he attacked. His face twisted in a wide grin. " For the Shikon Jewel so that I may become a full demon, you stupid wench." That is when I laughed at him. I asked him if he thought I was fool enough to carry the Shikon on my person. My young hanyou did not have an answer to that. I have not a clue what allowed me to do it, but I loosed Inu-Yasha from the tree, and warned him to stop hunting for the Jewel. After all of my hard training these past two seasons, is it so that I have gone soft? **_

_Suddenly I heard footsteps echoing through the well house. I slammed the diary shut, bolted up off of the crate, and looked around me. _

_"Souta?"_

_" Eat dust, Kikyou!" _

_All I had time to do was scream as I was knocked to the floor._

* * *

_Now this is getting interesting! No sign of Souta yet, but who just tackled Kagome? Next Chappy will be posted shortly so don't you go anywhere! Remember to R&R!!!!_

_-Rayne_


	4. Chapter 3: Hanyou

Chapter 3: Hanyou

_When I came to, the person kneeling on my chest was growling at me. Yes, growling, as crazy as that must sound. If someone had told me that, Id never believe it myself. I took my chances and decided to pretend I wasn't scared of him. Think Brave Kagome, think brave!_

"_Who the heck are you?" , I rasped out with as much authority as I could muster. " What gives you the right-"_

" _For once in your sorry life Kikyou, just shut it! And as to my rights? Maybe you should've thought about that before you turned into a She-Devil and stabbed me in the back! Now I think that's a right in itself, don't you?"_

_Dumbstruck, I could do nothing but stutter. So much for the fearless approach, Kagome…you're a real bright one there, girl..._

" _I don't know what you're talking about mister! My name isn't Kikyou, Its Kagome-"_

" _LIES!" He shouted so that his words echoed off the well house walls. I winced from the volume alone. " All lies! Do you honestly THINK for one second that you fool me? Did you forget who I am, Miko? Think carefully, wench, I'm not amused."_

_I fixed my face into what I hoped was an innocent smile, and then slowly replied," Who are you?"_

_His face suddenly shifted as if he were seeing me properly for the first time. It took on a softer expression, one of apology? I couldn't be sure. It was as if I was looking at a different face. But as swift as the change occurred, it disappeared. He once again wore a mask whittled from contempt , and painted with arrogance._

" _Eh. Lucky for you, you appear to be telling the truth. No one can fake amnesia THAT well. Wenches... heh!" With that he stood up ,and released me from the floor. He was tall, with long, white hair,and young, probably at most a few years my senior. And the oddest part was that he had ears, much like that of a dog, sitting on top of his head._

"_Well? Are you going to lay there for the remainder of the evening?" , the stranger clipped out, and extended his hand towards me, " The name's Inuyasha, by the way."_

_I reached forward and took his hand as he pulled me to my feet. I couldn't help but look up at him now that I was standing. His eyes were the most unusual color, a burned orange, like a fire in a way. The warm color looked so wrong with his face. An ice blue would've suited him much better. Inuyasha bent to retrieve my discarded candle from the edge of the well. With a little hesitation, I took it from him with trembling hands. The sun had already set by this time. I had to find Souta before Mom and Grandpa started to worry. There was no time to waste, and I could've used some help. It was worth a shot. I pasted my "Innocent" smile back on my face, and tried my luck._

" _Do you live around here? Maybe you've seen a little boy in the area? He's my brother."_

_Inuyasha spun around without warning and started charging at me." Does it LOOK like I live around here? I definitely know that you're not lying now! No way you both are one and the same! Even if you do look like her, heck, SMELL like her…"_

"_Wh-who?" , I whispered as Inuyasha backed me into the wall. With both of his hands planted on either side of my head, I was trapped. Wait, no, I think the words best to describe my situation were : done for. This guy had some explosive temper! Just like with Souta's mood change earlier, for the life of me , I couldn't figure out what I had said to upset him. Inuyasha bent down and growled in my face." Kikyou." ,he spat out as if the word had left a foul taste in his mouth. " the bitch who shot me in the chest twice and pinned me to a tree over a hundred years ago. Guess you can say she didn't do a good enough job, eh?"_

* * *

_Whew! That's intense! Surprise… Inuyasha was the attacker, but those of you who have read the manga probably figured that out from the last chapy =). Sorry for the LOOOONNNG wait, the Muse went on vacation! But I think she's staying for a bit , so look for an update soon! Words of the Day: Read and Review. I don't need to define those do I? =P_

_-Rayne_


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